HOMECOMING 2012 - OCT. 12-14Make plans to return to Binghamton and enjoy a wonderful fall weekend. Homecoming is a great time to see your friends, relive treasured memories and make new ones. Visit the Homecoming website today to add your name to our attendee list, and to see who else is planning to be here.

Get your foursome together and join us for the Alumni Golf Classic, which will take place on Friday, Aug. 3, at Vestal Hills Country Club in Vestal. This event is open to the public. The Alumni Golf Classic is a great opportunity to get away from the office for a day to enjoy golf, good food and more. We also offer sponsorship opportunities that will give great visibility to your business. Visit the tournament website to see details and to register now.

Binghamton University is on iTunes! If you're on campus, you can access the iTunes site using your PODS ID and password. If you are off campus, you can access our video and audio files through Apple's iTunes store. Search for "Binghamton University" and you'll find academic lectures, videos from Alumni Association events and more!

Are you looking for ways to save money on your dental bills this year? AlumniDent® provides affordable group dental insurance to alumni and their families, with immediate coverage for preventive, diagnostic and restorative services. AlumniDent also offers budget-friendly payment options to help keep costs low. And best of all, there is no network – so you can keep your family dentist! For online enrollment, or to learn more about this exclusive plan available through the Alumni Insurance Program, visit the AlumniDent website.

Ed Lee '80 knows how tough it is to enter the field of medicine without any guidance. It's why the Long Island-based dermatologist mentors pre-med students in Harpur College. Each summer, Lee mentors one student and offers him or her a glimpse into his daily workload. Students take notes on each of Lee's encounters with patients and write weekly homework assignments about the different skin conditions that are treated. While he specializes in dermatology, Lee will take a student interested in any form of medicine. Some of the lessons are germane to his specialty, while others are not.

"I encourage the students to ask questions of me," Lee says. "I also encourage the students to think of the person, not just the disease. In this way, I hope to impart compassion and knowledge to the students."

Although he didn't have a mentor in the early 1990s when going through the process of getting into and ultimately through Harvard Medical School, he wasn't totally without encouragement. He says Professor Fred Kull, his biochemistry advisor, was a strong influence during his time at Binghamton.

"He was fair in his way with students like me, but demanding," Lee says. "He gave me harsh words when I needed them and encouragement when that was appropriate. He was able to expand my thoughts about my career beyond medical school. He was the one to suggest that I pursue grad school for pharmacology. His thought that I had the brain for it."

Lee took the advice, earning his PhD from Rutgers in 1987. He had post-doctoral fellowships at the National Institutes of Health and Massachusetts Institute of Technology before becoming a clinical scholar at Rockefeller University. He eventually went to med school and entered private practice in dermatology. Lee says he was lured to pharmacology because of the chance to help millions with new drugs for diseases like cancer and heart disease or infectious disease. In other words, what was exciting was that there were seemingly no limits. He wants young people to explore the many options available to them and find their own path.

"I just hope the students do their best, learn as much as they can and become as compassionate as they can," Lee says. "Success is for others to judge."

BE ENGAGED - MAKE A DIFFERENCE:Learn more about how you can make an impact as an alumni volunteer. We have a number of ways you can be involved; we are certain you will find at least one that matches your talents and interests.